Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026
Mr TEHAN (Wannon) (16:10): The arrogance of the Minister for Climate Change and Energy knows no bounds. Here is one of his own side asking him questions and he is not even here to answer them. What arrogance!
What a disgrace! When we were in government, ministers turned up and had the respect to answer the opposition's questions—and to answer the questions from their own side. He won't even come here and answer the questions from his own side.
One of his members has asked him a question and he is not even here to answer it. What absolute arrogance! Honourable members interjecting— Mr TEHAN: No, this is consideration in detail and the minister for climate change should be here.
That's what we did, and it's an absolute disgrace that he isn't here. That sort of arrogance is what we are hearing about right out in the community as well, because the arrogance of the minister means he does not listen. Do you know why he does not listen?
It's because he is achieving nothing. Energy prices have gone up by 79 per cent since you have been in government, and there's not even an apology for the fact that you went to the 2022 election saying they would go down by $275. What did you do instead?
You ripped up the RepuTex modelling and said, 'It's worthless; let's blame that.' What's the modelling that you're basing everything you are trying to do on now? Emissions are flatlining—completely flatlining. Energy prices are up by 39 per cent, emissions are flatlining and industry is beginning to collapse.
The only reason it's not collapsing is you've had to bail it out, and we've seen that again today. Huge taxpayer moneys are being used to bail out industry, because everything you are doing is a complete and abject failure. I say this to Minister Bowen who isn't here because he's so arrogant: will you release modelling that the basis of your climate change target is based on?
Will you give us the Treasury modelling? Will you produce it here? This is meant to be a government that's transparent.
Let's see that transparency. Let's see the Treasury modelling that all of your assumptions are based on. Let's see the CSIRO modelling that your cost gen figures are based on.
That's our leading scientific— The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Dr Haines ): I remind the member to address the minister rather than to use the term 'you'. Mr TEHAN: Will the minister release the CSIRO modelling that his cost gen prices are built on? And, if he won't, why not?
CSIRO just recently released modelling when it came to what you're doing with your 2035 targets, so why won't you release the other modelling? The minister should be here to answer that question, because the lack of transparency in this area from this government beggars belief. This was a government that came in saying that transparency was absolutely vital to the functioning of the country.
We now know why emissions reduction is such a disaster and why people like Ross Garnaut have stood up and just said, 'You're not going to reach your 82 per cent renewables target.' He's been as factual as that. That means you're not going to reach your 2030 target. That means you're not going to reach your 2035 target, because it's built on you achieving your 2030 target.
The whole thing is a house of cards—a house of cards that was propped up by RepuTex modelling, which you've torn up, and now you won't show us the basis for anything else you are doing. That's why it's such a farce. You're failing on the three key factors.
Energy prices are up. Emissions are flatlining. Industry is being crippled.
Not only that; when it comes to innovation and the technology that could drive this change, what are you saying? You're saying a big, fat no to it. You won't even look at uranium exports to help the US, which might then help us to secure an AUKUS deal.
That is how backwards you are as a government and how you are failing.